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A major talking point of England's top flight season so far concerns the reduction of scoring in open play and the way clubs have been scoring more from set-pieces instead.

When we compare scoring methods to matchday 11 last season, we note a drop of 39 goals in open play and an increase of 26 from set-plays and penalties, resulting in 13 less altogether.

Considering the bigger picture, shot attempts teams are taking show a staggering 370 fewer in open play than this time last time out.

And despite the big increase in set-piece goals, there have actually been just two more shots generated from these situations outside of penalties, showing the proficiency teams have been at devising strategies to net from set-pieces.

Goal Statistics Show an Interesting Narrative

301 total goals scored in 110 matches so far averages out at nearly 2.75 goals each match, if this persists for the entire campaign might be the smallest for five years, back in 2020-21 (2.69 per game).

However, only 196 scores scored in open play averages out 1.78 each match and is heading to be the least for 16 years, back in 2009-10 (1.76).

That campaign is also the only Premier League season to witness scoring more frequently from set-plays excluding penalties than this season's rate of 0.77 per fixture (0.79 per game).

What Clubs Are Most Responsible?

Regarding goals scored from open-play, Wolves have recorded by far the biggest drop, registering a mere four in their first 11 fixtures, 10 less than this point the previous campaign.

Excluding Wolverhampton, England's top division's decline in open play goals is very much a London phenomenon, with half of the London's seven clubs netting a minimum of five goals fewer from open play than last season.

Honestly, this is mainly because their scoring many scores at the start of last season rather than them having difficulty to find the net in open play the current term.

At the same time City have seen the largest rise, with nearly all of the 23 they've scored so far arriving in open-play.

Set-Piece Success

Looking at clubs that came up with the relegated sides they replaced. Play-off champions the Black Cats have recorded an additional three goals in open play than Southampton achieved in their first 11 games leading to demotion last season.

When it comes to goals scored from dead-ball situations (aside from spot-kicks), the Gunners and the Blues have seen the most significant jump, with the two clubs making up for the five fewer scores that they've netted in open-play with identical figures from dead-ball chances.

United have scored twice as many goals from set-pieces as they achieved in the 11 games last season ahead of Ruben Amorim took charge, while Sunderland once more have been more successful at converting than the fellow red-and-whites they superseded.

Manchester City appear not to have received the message about scoring more from set-plays, because they've recorded a reduction of three than the previous campaign, as have Forest, even if this may result from the change in style they're working to install.

General Tendencies

Six sides – the Gunners, Chelsea, the Cottagers, the Magpies, Spurs and the Hammers – are this season's top trend-setters by netting less goals from open play and more from set-pieces, while Man City are the sole team to buck the trend to date by doing the contrary.

It will be fascinating to watch if teams carry on to depend greatly on set-pieces as the campaign progresses or if they find again their general attacking flair and begin scoring additional scores in open play also.